Lawn sweeper assembly with tilt-able hopper and latch assembly and method of use thereof

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a lawn sweeper designed to collect debris, such as grass clippings and leaves, from a surface such as a lawn, and more particularly to a lawn sweeper with a tilt-able hopper frame and hopper bag that includes a handle such that an operator may tilt the hopper frame and hopper bag, using the handle, to empty the hopper bag contents. The hopper bag and hopper frame are connected to a lawn sweeper unit using a hopper rod which is inserted into two slots at the ends of two hopper support bars and secured within the slots by two corresponding latch plates, one latch plate at each end of the two hopper support bars. The latching mechanism allows the hopper frame and hopper bag to be easily removed from the lawn sweeper unit for storage.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/477,559, filed Jun. 3, 2009, entitled LAWN SWEEPER ASSEMBLY WITH TILT-ABLE HOPPER AND LATCH ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/053,965, filed Mar. 24, 2008, entitled LAWN SWEEPER ASSEMBLY WITH ADJUSTABLE BRUSH ASSEMBLY AND HOPPER ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF, both of which are incorporated by reference herein and the benefit of and priority from is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a lawn sweeper designed to collect debris, such as grass clippings and leaves, from a surface such as a lawn, and more particularly to a lawn sweeper with an adjustable brush assembly and characteristics associated with improved storage of such a device.

BACKGROUND

Lawn sweeping is a conventional technique used by many homeowners, gardeners, and groundskeepers to collect unwanted debris from a lawn. Such unwanted debris may include, for example, grass clippings, leaves (mulched or whole), and/or pine needles. A well groomed lawn gives a good first impression, whether the well groomed lawn is associated with a business or a home. Furthermore, a well groomed lawn is part of living the “American dream.” For these reasons, among others, a need exists, for an improved lawn sweeper for collecting debris from a lawn.

Lawn sweepers are used in various ways for maintaining a well-groomed lawn. For example, groundskeepers will often mow a lawn, thereby creating grass clippings and autumn-shed leaves. In some instances, mulching the leaves is preferred, as many people are required to compact and bag their lawn refuse for pickup. Thus, a groundskeeper may even make multiple passes to further mulch the leaves and other lawn debris.

In brief detail, known lawn sweepers generally have a lawn sweeper unit for actually collecting the lawn debris and a hopper for storing the collected lawn debris. Known lawn sweeper units generally have a housing mounted on a set of wheels and a brush assembly including a brush, often a rotating brush, that collects debris and places it into the hopper. The hopper may consist of a bag, or it may be made of any other suitable material capable of collecting and containing debris desired to be collected. Known lawn sweepers may be self-contained units, i.e., they may further include an engine and be driven by a user. Other known lawn sweepers may, for example, be towed by a device such as a tractor or lawn mower.

The known lawn sweepers are not without their problems. For example, one feature of some lawn sweepers is an adjustable wheel assembly that allows the lawn sweeper's housing (and thus the attached brush assembly) to move with respect to the wheels. As such, the brush assembly may be positioned at various positions with respect to the ground depending on the debris being collected and the terrain over which a user is collecting the debris. For example, if a user is collecting debris from a lawn that has longer grass, it may be desirable to position the brush further above the ground when sweeping the lawn than when sweeping a lawn with shorter grass.

One problem with this feature, however, is that by adjusting the wheel assembly with respect to the housing, not only does the brush assembly's position change with respect to the ground, but the position of the housing itself with respect to the ground also changes, which may be less than desirable in some instances. Also, the weight is carried by the adjusting mechanism, rather than directly by the wheels. For example, some known lawn sweepers include a stop plate mounted to the housing at the rear of the lawn sweeper unit (just behind the brush). The stop plate may, among other things, catch lawn debris that the brush misses, thereby preventing the missed debris from remaining on the lawn. As the housing is raised with respect to the ground to allow the brush to be further from the ground, however, the distance between the bottom of the stop plate and the ground also increases since the stop plate is connected to the housing in known solutions. Thus, larger debris may pass beneath the stop plate and remain on a swept lawn, which is undesirable.

Other problems also exist with the currently known methods of adjusting the brush height of a lawn sweeper. For example, changing the height of the housing of a lawn sweeper may create problems with towing a lawn sweeper. For example, lawn sweepers often have a towing means, e.g., a tow bar, fixedly mounted to the housing. By changing the height of the housing, the height of the tow bar may also change, which may position the tow bar at an inadequate height for a given hitch on a towing apparatus, e.g., a tractor, lawn mower, all-terrain vehicle, etc.

Other problems are readily apparent in known lawn sweepers. For example, storage space is often limited, especially in homeowners' garages. Known lawn sweepers often take up highly valued space and can create storage-related problems. One known solution, for example, is a detachable hopper assembly, thereby allowing a user to store two smaller components (i.e., the hopper assembly and the lawn sweeper unit). For example, the hopper assembly may be stored by hanging it on a wall while allowing the lawn sweeper unit to take up less space on a ground position.

Therefore, in view of the above-noted problems with known lawn sweepers, among others, a need exists in the art for an improved lawn sweeper that retains all the functionality of the prior designs yet is without the undesirable characteristics of the known solutions. A need exists, for example, for an improved lawn sweeper that allows for a brush adjustment without the disadvantages of the current solutions. Further, as another example, a need also exists for a lawn sweeper that is more easily stored and takes up less storage space when not in use.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally relates to a lawn sweeper designed to collect debris, such as grass clippings and leaves, from a surface such as a lawn, and more particularly to a lawn sweeper with an adjustable brush assembly and characteristics associated with improved storage of such a device.

In one example embodiment, a lawn sweeper assembly includes a lawn sweeper unit and a hopper bag assembly. The lawn sweeper unit includes a housing having a front panel and two side panels, a first and second wheel connected to the side panels, and a brush assembly connected to the housing, either directly or indirectly, such as being connected to a mounting bracket or the axles of the wheels. The brush assembly is adjustable to more than one position with respect to the housing without requiring the wheels to move in order to make the brush assembly adjustment. For example, the brush assembly may rotate about the axle(s) of the wheels. The hopper bag assembly is connected to the lawn sweeper unit and includes a frame and a bag supported by the frame for collecting debris.

In another example, a hopper assembly has a panel movably connected to the frame and/or another panel. The panel is movable to be placed in a first orientation or a second orientation. In the first orientation, the volume for collecting debris within the hopper is smaller than when the panel is in the second orientation.

In another example embodiment, the hopper assembly may further include a filtering panel that allows smaller debris, such as grass, to exit the hopper assembly while retaining larger debris, such as leaves, within the hopper assembly. In one example, the filtering panel is removable, which may allow a user to replace the filtering panel with a different filtering panel, perhaps having a different filtering threshold (which may, for example, include a solid filtering panel that does not allow any debris to pass).

A method for adjusting a brush assembly connected to a lawn sweeper unit is also disclosed that includes disengaging a locking mechanism associated with the brush assembly, moving the brush assembly with respect to the housing without requiring the wheels to move to make the adjustment, and then engaging the locking mechanism.

Another example method for storing a lawn sweeper unit is also disclosed and includes removing an attached hopper assembly from a lawn sweeper unit, folding a hitch tube on the lawn sweeper unit, and storing the lawn sweeper unit in a storage position. The method may also include folding at least one assembly support bar.

In another example embodiment, a lawn sweeper assembly may include a tilt-able hopper frame and hopper bag that includes a handle such that an operator may tilt the hopper frame and hopper bag, using the handle, to empty the hopper bag contents. The hopper bag and hopper frame are connected to a lawn sweeper unit using a hopper rod which is inserted into two slots at the ends of two hopper support bars and secured within the slots by two corresponding latch plates, one latch plate at each end of the two hopper support bars. The latching mechanism allows the hopper frame and hopper bag to be easily removed from the lawn sweeper unit for storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments are shown in the drawings. However, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a lawn sweeper assembly including a lawn sweeper unit and a hopper assembly;

FIG. 2 is a half perspective side view of an example of a lawn sweeper unit without a wheel removed to illustrate, among other things, the brush assembly;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating, among other things, an example of the brush assembly;

FIG. 4 is a portion of a bottom-side view showing an example of the lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the example lawn sweeper assembly of FIG. 1 without a bag attached to the hopper assembly;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one example of a hopper assembly with a second bottom surface panel in a first orientation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one example of the hopper assembly of FIG. 6 with the second bottom surface panel in a second orientation;

FIG. 8 is a side view of another example of a hopper assembly including a bag;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1, without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of a folding hitch tube;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1, without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of a folding hitch tube in a centered position along a tow bar;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1, without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of a folding hitch tube in an offset position along a tow bar; and

FIG. 12 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1, without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of folding hopper assembly support bars.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an example of a lawn sweeper assembly including a lawn sweeper unit and a hopper assembly, where the hopper assembly includes two latch plates for holding a hopper rod in a secured position, and a handle for dumping the hopper bag contents.

FIG. 14 is a perspective close-up view of one of the latch plates, in a latched position, holding the hopper rod in place.

FIG. 15 is a perspective close-up view of the latch plate of FIG. 14, in an unlatched position, so that the hopper rod may be removed.

FIG. 16 is a front view of the latch plate of FIGS. 14 and 15, where the latch plate is in a latched position as in FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the lawn sweeper assembly of FIG. 13 illustrating how the hopper frame may be tilted using the handle, for the purpose of dumping the hopper bag contents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting and understanding the principles disclosed herein, references are now made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language is used to describe the same. It is nevertheless understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles disclosed as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure relates.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lawn sweeper assembly 100. Lawn sweeper assembly 100 includes lawn sweeper unit 102 and hopper assembly 104, which in one example may be a hopper bag assembly (i.e., the hopper assembly 104 may include a bag, although in other examples, the hopper assembly 104 may include any suitable means for retaining collected debris, such as a more rigid plastic hopper or other suitable container).

The lawn sweeper unit 102 contains a housing 106, which includes a front panel 108, a first side panel 110, and a second side panel 112. In the particular example shown in FIG. 1, front panel 108 forms a convex surface such that the front panel 108 forms a front and top surface. The housing 106 may also include separate top panel and front panel, if desired. Furthermore, the housing may be formed from a common mold defining the panels 108, 110, and 112. One having ordinary skill in the art will recognize other alternatives for forming housing 106.

The lawn sweeper unit 102 also includes a first wheel 114 connected to the first side panel 110. A second wheel (not shown) is also connected to the second side panel 112 of housing 106. The wheels 114 may be connected to the side panels 110, 112 by any suitable means. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, for example, wheel 114 is connected to side panel 110 by a single axle 116. Axle 116 is connected to only the first wheel 114 such that the second wheel is on a second, separate axle and may therefore rotate independently of the first wheel 114, although it is understood that the first wheel 114 and second wheel could share a common axle. It is further understood that the wheels may be connected to the housing 106 by any suitable means and in any suitable location. For example, instead of having an axle 116 directly connected to side panel 116, a mounting bracket may be used to, for example, extend the wheel a distance from the housing 106. As another example, the wheels may be connected to the front panel or any other suitable component of the lawn sweeper assembly 100. In this example, however, the wheels 114 are in a fixed position with respect to the housing 106, i.e., since the axle 116 is fixedly mounted to the side panel 110, the wheel 114 attached to axle 116 may not move vertically with respect to the housing; it may only move rotationally. As a result, the weight of the housing 106 is carried directly by the wheels, further from the adjustable brush assembly as is commonly found in the prior art.

Lawn sweeper unit 102 further includes a brush assembly 118 connected to housing 106. As is further described below, the brush assembly 118 is adjustable to more than one position with respect to the housing without requiring the first wheel 114 or the second wheel to move with respect to the housing 106 for the brush assembly 118 to adjust to more than one position. As best shown in FIG. 2, brush assembly 118 includes a brush axle 120 upon which a brush 122 (best shown in FIG. 3) may be mounted for sweeping a lawn. Brush assembly 118 also includes a brush assembly bracket 124, connected to the brush axle 120, and having a rotational-connecting mechanism 126 for mounting the brush assembly 118 to the lawn sweeper unit 102. As best shown in FIG. 2, the rotational-connecting mechanism 126 is an inner-circumferential surface forming an aperture in the brush assembly bracket 124, wherein the aperture is adapted to receive a rod 116 such that the brush assembly bracket 124 may rotate about the rod. As shown in FIG. 2, the rod 116 is axle 116, as described above. The brush assembly 118 may also include a brush assembly bar 128 connected to the brush assembly bracket 124, which may, among other things, give added stability to the brush assembly 118 when mounted to a lawn sweeper unit 102.

In an embodiment where the brush assembly 118 includes a brush assembly bar 128, the side panel 110 may include a slit 130 through which the brush assembly bar 128 may pass as the brush assembly 118 rotates about the rod/axle 116. As one skilled in the art will recognize from the figures, particularly FIGS. 2 and 3, the side panel 110 may also include a slot 132 through which the brush axle 120 may pass as the brush assembly 118 rotates.

One skilled in the art will appreciate, although not shown, that the second side panel 112 will include the necessary corresponding components similar to those included in the first side panel 110. At a minimum, this includes a rod, similar to rod 116, upon which a second, corresponding brush assembly bracket (not shown) may rotate. It is contemplated that the brush assembly bracket may also be within the housing, not external to it.

FIG. 3 shows a close-up side view of a lawn sweeper unit 102. As shown, brush 122 may include several brush arms 302, 304, 306, 308. Any suitable brush 122 known in the art may be used, however. Brush arms 302-308 are connected to brush axle 120 (either directly or indirectly) and rotate about in the orientation shown in FIG. 3, rotate in a clockwise direction. Double-dotted line 310 represents the path that the outer ends 312, 314, 316, 318 of the brush arms 302-308 follow while rotating.

In this particular example shown in FIG. 3, gear 320 is connected to axle 116, which is in turn connected to wheel 114. Thus, as the lawn sweeper unit 102 moves across the ground, the wheels rotate in a counterclockwise direction, thereby causing gear 320 to also rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Gear 320 engages with gear 322, which is connected to the brush axle 120. As such, the counterclockwise rotation of gear 320 causes gear 322, and thus the brush, to rotate in a clockwise direction. It should be understood, however, that any suitable mechanism now known or later developed may be used for rotating the brush 122. For example, gear 322 may be a geared surface of brush axle 120.

A locking mechanism 324 is also attached to the brush assembly bracket. The locking mechanism 324 may be, for example, include a knob 326 with a pin 402 designed to pass through one of the plurality of holes 322-344, which are formed by an inner surface of the first side panel 110. The locking mechanism 324, when in an engaged position, may lock the brush assembly 118 into place such that the brush assembly may not rotate about the axle of the first wheel or other mechanism allowing rotation attached to the housing 106. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, locking mechanism 324 may be any suitable locking mechanism, such as a spring-biased locking mechanism, a threaded locking mechanism, or a clip locking mechanism.

FIG. 4 shows an angled perspective view from the bottom of the lawn sweeper assembly 102. One aspect of the present example embodiment not visible in other views includes pin 402 of locking mechanism 324. Note, however, that the brush 122 is removed from this view but would be attached to the brush axle 120 (also not shown in this view) attached to the brush assembly bracket 124 and passing through slot 132.

As initially shown in FIG. 2, the lawn sweeper unit 102 may also include a hopper support bar 202 connected to the housing 106. The hopper support bar 202 operates to support a hopper assembly 104, which is further discussed below. The hopper support bar 202, which may also include a corresponding hopper support bar 502, may be connected to the housing at any suitable location, such as the top, inner portion of a side panel 110, 112, the top, outer portion of side panel 110, 112, or the bottom, inner surface of the front panel 108. As best shown in FIG. 12, the hopper assembly support bars 202, 502, in one example embodiment, are foldable in a direction as indicated by dotted lines 1202, 1204. The hopper assembly support bars 202, 502 may be foldable by any suitable mechanism known in the art. For example, at pivot points 1206, 1208, a bracket may be mounted to side panels 110, 112 that allows the hopper assembly support arms 202, 502 to rotate. Furthermore, the hopper assembly support arms 202, 502 may fold themselves, i.e., they may not only fold about a bracket. In yet another variation, one end of the hopper assembly support arm 202, 502 may be fixedly attached to the housing 106, and the hopper assembly support arms 202, 502 may themselves fold. Among other things, foldable hopper assembly support arms 202, 502 allow the lawn sweeper unit 102 to take up less space when not in use.

The figures further show other features of the lawn sweeper unit 102. For example, an example embodiment that is to be towed behind a vehicle may include a tow bar 134, which may be directly connected to housing 106 or may be connected via tow bar mounting brackets 136, 138, which extend the tow bar 134 a distance away from the housing 106. In the example shown in FIG. 1, tow bar 106 is about the same width as the housing and does not extend beyond the side panels 110, 112 of the housing 106. However, tow bar 106 may be shorter or longer, if desired.

Hitch tube 140 may also be connected to the tow bar 134, and may be any suitable hitch tube (such as a pin hitch or a ball hitch). As shown in FIGS. 1, 10, and 11, the hitch tube 140 may be connected to tow bar 134 in such a way that it is movable. For example, the hitch tube 140 may be slidably connected to the tow bar 134 so that the lawn sweeper unit 102 may, for example, be towed towards the side of a vehicle.

In one example and as best shown in FIG. 11, the hitch tube 140 may be slidably connected to tow bar 134 by a mounting bracket 142, which includes a top bracket 144, a corresponding bottom bracket 146 (not shown in FIG. 11 but shown in FIG. 1), and a first bolt 148 and second bolt 150 for pulling the top bracket 144 and the bottom bracket 146 towards each other to clamp the mounting bracket 142 to the tow bar 134 such that it is not easily movable when the bolts 148, 150 are tightened. One skilled in the art, however, will recognize any number of ways to slidably connect the hitch tube 140 to the tow bar 134. The hitch tube 140 may also be directly mounted to the housing 106. Because the width of tow bar 134 is less than the width of housing 106 in the example embodiment of FIG. 1, the hitch tube 140 cannot function as an offset towing arm that extends beyond the outer edges of the housing 106. As shown in FIG. 10, among other figures, the hitch tube 140 may still be placed in a location that is centered in respect to housing 106.

In an interest to promote easy storage of the lawn sweeper unit 102, the hitch tube 140 may also be foldable, as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 9. For example, bolt 902 may be loosened to allow the hitch tube 140 to rotate to a position towards the housing 106, as shown. It is understood, however, that any suitable means may be used to allow hitch tube 140 to fold.

Turning now to FIGS. 5-8, a hopper assembly 104 is shown. As discussed above, hopper assembly 104 may be connected to the lawn sweeper unit 102 to collect debris that the brush 122 of the lawn sweeper 102 sweeps into the hopper assembly 104. The hopper assembly 104 may sit close to, if not against, the lawn sweeper assembly 102, as shown in FIG. 5. The hopper assembly 104 may be attached directly to housing 106 or may be connected and supported by hopper assembly support arms 202, 502. In a preferred embodiment, the hopper assembly 104 is detachable (i.e., removable) from the lawn sweeper unit.

The hopper assembly 104 includes a frame 504 forming a volume 506 for collecting debris having a first bottom side edge 508, a second bottom side edge 510, a bottom back edge 512, a first top side edge 514, a second top side edge 516, and a top back edge 518. The frame may take any suitable form as recognized by one skilled in the art, and may be made of multiple pieces or a continuous piece of material. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a continuous piece of material forms the top side edge 516, top back edge 518, and top side edge 514 while a continuous piece of material forms the bottom side edge 508, the bottom back edge 512, and the second bottom side edge 510. Each portion of the frame, however, could be a separate piece of material connected together. Frame 504 may include any other suitable components, such as support vertical support members 520, 522 or horizontal support member 524.

The hopper assembly 104 also includes a bottom surface 602 having a first bottom surface panel 604 fixedly connected to the frame 504. Although the first bottom surface panel 604 is fixedly connected, it does not mean that the first bottom surface panel 604 is not removable. Instead, “fixedly” is meant to suggest that when put in place and connected to the frame, the bottom surface panel 604 is not designed to be movable with respect to the frame in order to add functionality to the hopper assembly 104.

The bottom surface 602 also includes a second bottom surface panel 606 movably connected to at least one of: the first bottom surface panel 604 and/or the frame 504. As such, the second bottom surface panel 606 can be placed in at least a first orientation (shown in FIG. 6) or a second orientation (such as that shown in FIG. 7 with the second bottom surface panel 606 being folded about hinge 608 and abutting first bottom surface panel 604). When in the first orientation, the volume for collecting debris 506 is smaller than when in the second orientation. It is noted however, that a second orientation may include completely removing the second bottom surface panel 604.

The bottom surface 602 may also include a filtering panel 610 that allows smaller debris, such as grass clippings, to exit the volume 506 of the hopper assembly 104 while allowing the hopper assembly 104 to retain larger debris, such as leaves. The filtering panel 610 may take any suitable form that discriminates, to some extent, between debris elements of different sizes. Thus, for example, filtering panel 610 could be a grate, a grid, a series of holes in a panel, a net, or any other suitable structure made of any suitable material. Furthermore, the filtering panel 610 may be removable so that other filtering panels with different filtering thresholds may be used in its place. For example, one filtering panel may have mesh openings 1⅝″ wide while another filtering panel may have mesh openings measuring 1⅜″.

The filtering panel 610 may be attached to the hopper assembly 104 and the second bottom surface panel 606 may be retained in the first or second orientation by any suitable means, such as a hook and loop material, snaps, buttons, ties, or straps. For example, hook and loop material 612 and 614 is used to hold the second bottom surface panel 606 in the first orientation shown in FIG. 6 by connecting to the frame 504, while the hook and loop material 612, 614 holds the second bottom surface panel 606 against the first bottom surface panel 604 in the second orientation shown in FIG. 7.

As best shown in FIG. 8, a hopper bag assembly 800 may include a frame 802 and a bag 804 supported by the frame 802 for collecting debris. The hopper bag assembly 800 is similar to hopper assembly 104, except it includes a bag 804, and the frame 802 takes a different form. This illustrates, among other things, that a hopper assembly may take any suitable shape or form. Furthermore, the bag may be made of any suitable material and may even be plastic panels (i.e., a hard cover “bag”) that fit within the frame. Furthermore, the frame 802 may not even be a separate component from the bag, i.e., the bag 804 could be a container made of a rigid material and the “frame” 802 could be the edges of the container for collecting debris.

Furthermore, one or more methods associated with a lawn sweeper assembly 100 are readily apparent based on this disclosure. For example, a method for adjusting a brush assembly 118 connected to a lawn sweeper unit 102 may include disengaging a locking mechanism 324 that is associated with the brush assembly 118; moving the brush assembly with respect to the housing 106 without moving the wheels with respect to the housing 106; and engaging (i.e., reengaging) the locking mechanism 324 such that the brush assembly 118 is in a different position with respect to the housing 106, thereby causing the brush 122 to be further from or closer to when the lawn sweeper unit 102 is in operation. The moving of the brush assembly 118 may involve rotating a brush assembly bracket 124, associated with the brush assembly 118, about an axle 116 of a first wheel 114 connected to the housing 106.

It is understood, however, that the method may include any intervening steps and/or steps prior to or after the steps disclosed herein. It is further understood that in view of the described example embodiments of a lawn sweeper unit 102 and a hopper assembly 104, other methods are apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, a method may include sliding a hitch tube 140 along a tow bar 134 from a first position to a second position, folding a hitch tube 140, folding a hopper assembly support bar 202, 502, or removing or connecting a hopper assembly 104 from/to a lawn sweeper unit 102 by, for example, using one or more hopper assembly support bars. Furthermore, the method may include storing the lawn sweeper unit in a storage position. A storage position may include any position allows the lawn sweeper assembly 100 to occupy less space or in a preferable manner than when the lawn sweeper assembly 100 is set up for operation. Thus, for example, removing the hopper assembly 104 may allow a user to hang the hopper assembly 104 out of the way while allowing the lawn sweeper unit to occupy less space on a storage surface, such as the floor of a garage or shed. Another storage position may include having the hitch tube 140 folded in towards the tow bar 134. When in this position, the hitch tube does not protrude as far, thereby allowing more convenient storage, as one skilled in the art will appreciate. Another storage position may include, for example, having the hopper assembly support bars 202, 502 folded (or even removed) to create a more compact unit for storage. One having ordinary skill in the art will recognize other storage positions (e.g., standing a lawn sweeper 102 on an end or in a non-operating orientation so that the footprint of the lawn sweeper unit 102 is smaller).

In view of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will recognize several advantages of the disclosed lawn sweeper assembly and methods associated therewith. For example, one skilled in the art will recognize that a brush assembly 118 that is adjustable with respect to the housing 106 without requiring wheels 114 to move allow the brush to operate closer or more distant from the ground to sweep a lawn or other desired surface without changing the distance the housing 106 is from the ground. Thus, for example, stopper plate 152 may be longer (since the housing is never lowered towards the ground), thereby allowing stopper plate 152 to catch more debris that is not swept up by the brush 122. As another advantage, one skilled in the art will recognize that features such as a foldable hitch and foldable hopper assembly support bars, among other things, will allow a user to store a lawn sweeper assembly 100 in a preferred storage position which may, among other things, be more compact and/or occupy a smaller overall footprint when in such a storage position.

FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of a lawn sweeper assembly 1300. The lawn sweeper assembly 1300 includes a lawn sweeper unit 1301 and a hopper frame 1310. A hopper bag 1309 may be positioned over the hopper frame 1310 as illustrated, and forms the volume used for collecting lawn debris collected by the lawn sweeper unit 1301. The lawn sweeper unit 1301 may include hopper support bar 202 and hopper support bar 502 similar to the embodiment described with respect to FIG. 5.

The hopper bag 1309 is removably secured to the hopper frame 1310 by hopper rod 1306, which is removably secured to hopper support bar 202 via a corresponding latch plate 1308, and to hopper support bar 502 via corresponding latch plate 1302. The hopper rod 1306 may include end caps 1307 to cover the slightly protruding ends of the hopper rod 1306, both for esthetics, and also to prevent the hopper rod 1306 from horizontally sliding out of position with respect to the hopper support bars 202 and 502. Hopper support bars 202 and 502 include slots having a width large enough to accept the diameter of the hopper rod 1306.

As shown in FIG. 13, the hopper support bars 202 and 502 are each positioned with one end attached to the lawn sweeper unit 1301, and project upwardly from the lawn sweeper unit 1301 forming an angle with the bottom surface of the lawn sweeper unit 1301 (and also the ground upon which the lawn sweeper 1301 sits). The opposite ends of the hopper support bars 202 and 502 have slots for receiving the hopper rod 1306 as mentioned, and the hopper support bars 202 and 502 therefore support the hopper frame 1310 and hopper bag 1309 when secured to the lawn sweeper unit 1301 to form the complete lawn sweeper assembly 1300. The hopper support bars 202 and 502 may be connected to the lawn sweeper unit 1301 in various manners including using nut and bolts assemblies, or by welding. Additionally, the hopper support bars 202 and 502 may be connected in a pivotable or foldable manner as was described above with respect to FIG. 12.

The lawn sweeper assembly 1300 also includes the handle 1311, which is secured to the hopper frame 1310 by upper handle mounting bracket 1313. The upper handle mounting bracket 1313 may be attached to the hopper frame 1310 in any suitable manner, for example, by one or more nut and bolt assemblies for securing the upper handle mounting bracket 1313 to the hopper frame 1310. Likewise the handle 1311 may be secured to the upper handle mounting bracket 1313 in any suitable manner, such that the handle 1311 may pivot in the handle mounting bracket 1313, including one or more nut and bolt assemblies, a cotter pin, etc. In some embodiments, the upper handle mounting bracket 1313 may be a cast form clamp, suitable for clamping to a tubular shape, where the hopper frame 1310 is formed via one or more tubular members. The cast form clamp may include an additional clamping portion for pivotably clamping to the handle 1311, where the handle 1311 is also a tubular shape with a diameter close to the diameter of the tubular members forming the hopper frame 1310. In some embodiments, the handle 1311 may be press fit, or threaded, into a pivotable portion of the handle mounting bracket 1313. Therefore, in the various embodiments, the handle 1311 will have some freedom of movement such that the handle 1311 may be pivotable up and down, in other words, such that the handle 1311 may be moved upwardly away from the lawn sweeper assembly 1300 and downwardly toward the lawn sweeper assembly 1300 such that at least one point on the handle 1300 may rest against the hopper rod 1306. For example, the handle 1311 may be tubular and have holes drilled through the mounting end to receive a cotter pin. The handle mounting bracket 1313 may support the handle 1311 via a cotter pin, about which the handle 1311 may rotate when pulled upwardly or outwardly toward the lawn sweeper unit 1301.

The handle 1311 may also be removably secured to the hopper rod 1306 using a lower handle clip 1312. The lower handle clip may lightly clamp, via, for example, a flexible metal clip, to the hopper rod 1306 in any suitable manner, such that the handle may easily be pulled forward by an operator, thus disengaging the handle from the hopper rod 1306. In other embodiments, no lower handle clip 1312 is present, and, instead, the handle 1311 may rest freely upon the hopper rod 1306, or some other member of the hopper frame 1310, when the handle 1311 is not is use by an operator.

Because the handle 1311 is secured to the top member of the hopper frame 1310 via, for example, a cotter pin, and because the hopper rod 1306 may rotate freely, or, in other words pivot, in its position with respect to hopper support bar 202 and hopper support bar 502, a pivot point is formed about the hopper rod 1306 as will be described further.

Turning to FIGS. 14 and 15, further details are illustrated with respect to operation of the latch plates 1302 and 1308. The latch plate 1302 is identical to latch plate 1308 and is, as shown if FIG. 13, positioned opposite to latch plate 1308 such that the two latch plates are mirror images of each other with respect the hopper rod 1306 and the corresponding hopper support bars 502 and 202. Therefore, because the two latch plates are identical and positioned as mirror images, operation may be explained using only one, and therefore latch plate 1302 is used here for purposes of explanation. As shown in FIG. 14, hopper support bar 502 may be a channel that has two corresponding latch plate slots, upper latch plate slot 1401 and lower latch plate slot 1402, for accepting latch plate 1302 there-through. The channel may be any suitable type of channel having two surfaces, for example, a C-channel, such that the upper and lower latch plate slots may be accommodated. A V-shaped, U-shaped, H-shaped channel, box channel or any other channel having a suitable channel cross-section may also be used in various embodiments. Other embodiments may use a hopper support bar having a tubular cross section, a square cross section, etc., such that the latch plate may pass through the cross section as illustrated by the examples provided in FIGS. 14 and 15. The latch plate 1302 is held in a normally-closed or normally-latched position, by a spring force exerted against the bottom of the hopper support bar 502 by spring 1304. The latch plate 1302 has a T-shaped top portion such that the ends of the “T” are wider than the upper latch plate slot 1401 width and thus prevent the latch plate 1302 from falling through the upper latch plate slot 1401. The top T-shape portion of the latch plate 1302 also provides a sufficient height from the top of the hopper support bar 502, such that an operator may grasp the top of the latch plate 1302 and pull it upwardly and out of the latched position.

The hopper support bar 502 also has a slot 1605, or, in embodiments employing a channel, may have a portion of the channel's back surface removed, such that the hopper rod 1306 may be inserted into the hopper support bar 502 and latch plate 1302. In FIG. 14, latch plate 1302 is shown in a latched position, that is, securing the hopper rod 1306 to the hopper support bar 502 by spring tension, provided by spring 1304. FIG. 15 shows the latch plate 1302 in an unlatched position, as could be achieved when an operator grasps the upper T-shaped portion of the latch plate 1302, for example, with the operator's thumb and forefinger, and pulls upwardly to overcome the force due to spring 1304. The hopper rod 1306 may then be pulled back out of the hopper support bar 502 slot. The operator may then release the latch plate 1302, and the latch plate 1302 will snap back into the latched position due to the spring force exerted by spring 1304. The operator may thus remove the hopper bag (and the hopper frame 1301) from the lawn sweeper unit 1301 and therefore from the lawn sweeper assembly 1300.

It is to be understood that to pull “upwardly” as used herein is to pull the latch plate with respect to the plane of the latch plate. For example, in accordance with the embodiments, the latch plate, and thus the plane of the latch plate, may be positioned at an angle with respect to the ground surface. In other words, the plane of the latch plate need not be normal to the ground surface. Therefore the operator pulls “upwardly” on the latch plate if the operator pulls the latch plate in a direction within the plane of the latch plate, opposing the spring force of compression spring 1304.

FIG. 16 shows a side view of the latch plate 1302 illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. In FIG. 16 the latch plate 1302 is shown pulled partially upward, out of the fully latched position. The latch plate 1302 includes a spring seating cutout having a lower tongue 1601 and an upper tongue 1602, upon which the compression coil spring 1304 is seated and held in place as shown. Various coil springs may be used in the embodiments, such as, but not limited to, cylindrical compression springs or conical compression springs. Further, some embodiments may employ two or more springs seated in parallel. The lower tongue 1601 and upper tongue 1602 may be equal length or may be different lengths, provided that the space between the lower and upper tongue is adequate to install and seat the spring 1304 by applying a compression force to the spring 1304 and effectively squeezing it into a seated position. The upper tongue 1602 and lower tongue 1601 are both of sufficient length to prevent the spring 1304 from being inadvertently pushed out of its seated position by an upward pulling force or by a force lateral to the latch plate 1302. Such a lateral force may be produced by, for example, wiggling the latch plate 1302 within the upper latch plate slot 1401 and lower latch plate slot 1402. However, the upper latch plate slot 1401 and lower latch plate slot 1402 will in most embodiments have a width only slightly wider than the latch plate 1302, such that the latch plate 1302 is relatively stable against such lateral movements. The upper tongue 1602 will also be of sufficient length such that it will continue to hold the spring 1304 securely in place until the hopper rod stop 1603 clears slot 1605 so that the hopper rod 1306 may be removed from, or installed within, slot 1605. Therefore, the upper tongue 1602 should be approximately equal in length, or slightly longer than, the hopper rod stop 1603, so that the spring 1304 will be kept seated on the lower tongue 1601 when the latch plate 1302 is pulled upwardly. The gap 1604 will be at least equal to the width of slot 1605 such that it may align with slot 1605 to allow removal or installation of the hopper rod 1306.

The diameter of the spring 1304 is greater than the lower latch slot 1402, such that the spring abuts against the bottom surface of hopper support bar 502 and exerts a force there-upon so as to push the lower end of the latch plate 1302 away from the hopper support bar 502 bottom surface. In doing so, the spring 1304 places the latch plate 1302 in a normally-latched position such that hopper rod stop 1603 prevents the hopper rod 1306 from sliding out of slot 1605. The latch plate 1302 may be pulled upwardly until the bottom of the hopper rod stop 1603 clears slot 1605 allowing the hopper rod 1306 to be removed from slot 1605 through gap 1604.

It is to be understood that the latch plate 1302 design as shown is one embodiment of the latch plate 1302, and that other designs may be used that would remain in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, the lower tongue 1601 and upper tongue 1602 may be cylindrical in shape, such as dowel rods. The spring mounting portion of the latch plate 1302 may be any suitable shape provided the spring 1304 may be properly installed and seated. Likewise the hopper rod stop 1603 may have various shapes provided that its length is adequate to prevent hopper rod 1306 from sliding out of slot 1605 and provided that gap 1604 is larger than the diameter of hopper rod 1306.

Likewise the T-shaped top portion of latch plate 1302 may have various shapes provided that it prevents the latch plate 1302 from sliding downwardly out of, or falling through, the upper latch plate slot 1401. For example, the top portion of latch plate 1302 may also include one or more holes so that the operator may place, for example, an index finger through a hole to pull the latch plate 1302 upward. Therefore, it is to be understood that various shapes may be utilized for the latch plate 1302 and such shapes would remain in accordance with the embodiments herein disclosed.

Among other advantages, the latch mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 enables an operator to quickly and easily remove the hopper frame 1310 and hopper bag 1309 from the lawn sweeper unit 1301, thereby disassembling the lawn sweeper assembly 1300 for storage.

Turning to FIG. 17, further features of the lawn sweeper assembly 1300 embodiments are illustrated. As previously mentioned, the hopper may be tilted around a pivot point to dump its contents. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 17, applying a pulling force to handle 1311, to pull the handle forward in a direction toward the lawn sweeper unit 1301, causes the hopper frame 1310 to tilt such that the bottom of the hopper frame moves away from the lawn sweeper unit 1301, thereby allowing the hopper bag 1309 contents to be emptied. The hopper rod 1306 therefore may be considered to be an axis of rotation, about which the hopper bag assembly may rotate The hopper bag assembly includes the hopper frame 1310 and the hopper bag 1309 having the hopper rod 1306. As previously described, the hopper frame 1310 and also the hopper bag 1309 are secured to the hopper support bars 202 and 502 by the hopper rod 1306 which is secured within the slots 1605 of the hopper support bars 202 and 502 by corresponding latch plates 1308 and 1302, respectively.

The weight of hopper bag 1309 is thus supported by the hopper support bars 202 and 502 (i.e. the right and left support bars as viewed from the lawn sweeper unit 1301 and looking toward the hopper bag 1309). Because the weight of the lawn sweeper unit 1301 is greater than the combined weight of the hopper frame 1310 and hopper bag 1309, the lawn sweeper unit 1301 counterbalances the hopper frame 1310 and hopper bag 1309 weights for stability. The hopper rod 1306 may rotate within the gap 1604 of the latch plates 1302 and 1308, and also within the slot 1605 of the hopper support bars 202 and 502. Therefore the hopper rod 1306 acts as a pivot point about which the hopper frame 1310 and hopper bag 1309 may be tilted to empty the hopper bag 1309 contents.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teaching of the disclosure. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of the disclosure is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the related art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A lawn sweeper assembly comprising: a lawn sweeper unit including a housing having left and right hopper support bars each having a first end pivotally connected to the housing, wherein each of said hopper support bars extend from said housing to a second end to define a support width therebetween, a hopper bag assembly including a bag connected to a frame, cooperatively defining an open topped volume, said frame having a rod connected at each side frame member and defining a hopper width between said side frame members, wherein said hopper width is greater than said support width, such that when each said rod is pivotally connected at said second end of each hopper support bar a rotation axis is defined and each of the hopper support bars are disposed within the hopper width; and a handle, pivotably connected at a top frame member of said hopper frame, and having a grip end extending from said top frame member toward the lawn sweeper unit, such that a force applied to said grip end toward the housing rotates said hopper bag assembly about said rotation axis toward the housing to empty said hopper bag.
 2. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 1, wherein the support width is defined when the hopper support bars are disposed in an operative orientation.
 3. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 1, wherein the hopper support bars extend inwardly toward one another when disposed in a storage orientation.
 4. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 1, wherein said left hopper support bar includes a corresponding spring loaded left latch plate and said right hopper support bar includes a corresponding spring loaded right latch plate, the left and right latch plates positioned at said second end of said left and right hopper support bars, said latch plates each having a longitudinally extending slot to receive said rod through a laterally extending gap connected to the slot when said gap is aligned in registration with a rod slot defined at the second end of each hopper support bar and said latch plate is disposed in an unlatched position and a longitudinally extending rod stop to prevent removal of said rod from said rod slot when said latch plate is disposed in a latched position.
 5. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 4, wherein said left and right latch plates are identical and wherein each latch plate further comprises a spring seating cutout having an upper tongue and a lower tongue, said spring being a compression coil spring positioned on said upper tongue and said lower tongue.
 6. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 4, wherein each said hopper support bar includes a first latch plate slot and a second latch plate slot, wherein said corresponding spring loaded latch plate is inserted into said first and second latch plate slots, and wherein said spring loaded latch plate secures said rod in said rod slot of said support bar, between said first and second latch plate slots, when said latch plate is in said latched position.
 7. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 6, wherein said left and right hopper support bars are channels having at least a first and second planar surface, said first planar surface having said first latch plate slot cut there-through and said second surface having said second latch plate slot cut there-through, wherein said corresponding spring loaded latch plate passes through said first planar surface via said first latch plate slot, and passes through said second planar surface via said second latch plate slot.
 8. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 6, wherein for said left and right latch plates, said gaps of said latch plates are aligned with said rod slots at said second end of each said latch plate's corresponding hopper support bar, when said latch plates are pulled upwardly, such that said rod stops are not blocking said rod slots and such that said rod can be inserted or removed from said rod slots of said corresponding hopper support bars.
 9. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 1, wherein the handle is selectively connected to said rod, such that upon application of the force the handle is disconnected from the rod. 